Fassmer Werft has handed over the first of a new type of small ship combination designed for environmental service with local authorities.

The combination, built for the Office for Rural Development in Husum, North Germany, comprises two elements; the 32.5m long push boat/oil skimmer Odin and the 30m long oil tanker barge Luttmoor.

The concept was developed in cooperation with ship design company Lasse + Pache in Bremen and the combination package also includes a 33m long deck barge to transport materials for maintaining coastal protection facilities.

The vessels are built for service in the North and Baltic Seas, Elbe Estuary and in the mudflat tidal areas around the North Frisian Islands. They have flat bottoms which can settle on mudflats when required.

Both the pusher tug and the tanker barge also carry special equipment for tackling oil spills.

The push boat accommodates a crew of four and a further six personnel when oil processing tasks are underway. It is coupled to the barge with blocks and heavy duty winches.

The 309gt push boat is 9.8m wide, with a side height of 3.3m to main deck and draws 1.5m fully laden. It is driven by two 440 kW MAN engines Type D2842 LE over a fixed propeller.

The tank barge has an 80kW auxiliary diesel. It is of 289gt, 8.6m wide, with a side height of 3.3m and draws 1.8m. Tank capacity is 285 tons.

To support manoeuvering, both push boat and barge have Schottel pump jets. The brush-based oil intake system, especially developed by Lamor, has a capacity of 240m 3/hour. Both vessels are also the first of their type to be awarded a 'Blue Angel' certificate for environmentally sound products and services based on ISO 14024, Type 1 principles.